Dell Outlet Store: Certified Refurbished vs. Scratch & Dent?

I'm shopping XPS Studios in the Dell Outlet Store and they have
"Certified Refurbished" and "Scratch and Dent". The Scratch and Dent
versions of the computer with exact configurations is cheaper than the
Certified Refurbished version.

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There isn't much. Sometimes the "scratch n dent" machines are in so-
far-as-anyone-can-tell flawless condition, and sometimes they really
do have a slight blemish somewhere. It's possible that a scratch-n-
dent machine has never even been sold, where the certified refurbished
units are typically customer returns for some reason or another.

The "certified" part simply means that someone at Dell has inspected
the system to some degree. However, I'm sure they do that to all the
machines offered, no matter what they are sold as.

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On Fri, 20 May 2011 08:13:19 -0700 (PDT), "William R. Walsh"
<> wrote:
>Hi!
>
>> What's the difference? What does Certified Refurbished mean?
>
>There isn't much. Sometimes the "scratch n dent" machines are in so-
>far-as-anyone-can-tell flawless condition, and sometimes they really
>do have a slight blemish somewhere. It's possible that a scratch-n-
>dent machine has never even been sold, where the certified refurbished
>units are typically customer returns for some reason or another.
>
>The "certified" part simply means that someone at Dell has inspected
>the system to some degree. However, I'm sure they do that to all the
>machines offered, no matter what they are sold as.
>
>William

William in the past I bought some scratch and dent machines and I
couldn't see a flaw but you are correct what you said above.

On Fri, 20 May 2011 08:05:38 -0700, powrwrap wrote:
> I'm shopping XPS Studios in the Dell Outlet Store and they have
> "Certified Refurbished" and "Scratch and Dent". The Scratch and Dent
> versions of the computer with exact configurations is cheaper than the
> Certified Refurbished version.
>
> What's the difference? What does Certified Refurbished mean?

"Certified Refurbished" is a machine that was returned to Dell from a
lease, or repurchased by Dell for resale, or has been returned because
more then three attempts at a field repair were ineffective. They are
brought in, repaired and tested and then sold with a warranty.

"Scratch and Dent" are units that have either been refused by the receiver
(usually because of a mistake in fulfilling an order) or were slightly
damaged during manufacturing or before packaging. They are usually NEW.

Either should be good. General rule of thumb is the older the better. Some
of the new machines aren't as good as the older ones.

On May 21, 4:21 pm, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B <> wrote:
> On Fri, 20 May 2011 08:05:38 -0700, powrwrap wrote:
> > I'm shopping XPS Studios in the Dell Outlet Store and they have
> > "Certified Refurbished" and "Scratch and Dent". The Scratch and Dent
> > versions of the computer with exact configurations is cheaper than the
> > Certified Refurbished version.
>
> > What's the difference? What does Certified Refurbished mean?
>
> "Certified Refurbished" is a machine that was returned to Dell from a
> lease, or repurchased by Dell for resale, or has been returned because
> more then three attempts at a field repair were ineffective. They are
> brought in, repaired and tested and then sold with a warranty.
>
> "Scratch and Dent" are units that have either been refused by the receiver
> (usually because of a mistake in fulfilling an order) or were slightly
> damaged during manufacturing or before packaging. They are usually NEW.
>
> Either should be good. General rule of thumb is the older the better. Some
> of the new machines aren't as good as the older ones.
>
> Dell Certified Field Engineer.

"Some of the new machines aren't as good as the older ones." An
industry-wide trend, not just Dell. Ever cheapened construction and
choice of components, especially thin sheet metal desktop cases.

Some people whine and complain about black Dell clamshell cases, but
they were sturdy. The much criticized black Mitac case used for the
wildly popular Dimension 2400 as well as the much nicer 4600 and 4700
is more sturdy than the cases of most all current Dell models... Ben
Myers

On Sat, 21 May 2011 18:40:41 -0700, Ben Myers wrote:
> On May 21, 4:21 pm, Hachiroku ãƒãƒãƒ­ã‚¯ <> wrote:
>> On Fri, 20 May 2011 08:05:38 -0700, powrwrap wrote:
>> > I'm shopping XPS Studios in the Dell Outlet Store and they have
>> > "Certified Refurbished" and "Scratch and Dent". The Scratch and Dent
>> > versions of the computer with exact configurations is cheaper than the
>> > Certified Refurbished version.
>>
>> > What's the difference? What does Certified Refurbished mean?
>>
>> "Certified Refurbished" is a machine that was returned to Dell from a
>> lease, or repurchased by Dell for resale, or has been returned because
>> more then three attempts at a field repair were ineffective. They are
>> brought in, repaired and tested and then sold with a warranty.
>>
>> "Scratch and Dent" are units that have either been refused by the receiver
>> (usually because of a mistake in fulfilling an order) or were slightly
>> damaged during manufacturing or before packaging. They are usually NEW.
>>
>> Either should be good. General rule of thumb is the older the better. Some
>> of the new machines aren't as good as the older ones.
>>
>> Dell Certified Field Engineer.
>
> "Some of the new machines aren't as good as the older ones." An
> industry-wide trend, not just Dell. Ever cheapened construction and
> choice of components, especially thin sheet metal desktop cases.

This is quite true.
Almost all laptops are made in the same factory, and that includes Apples.

No, it's not just Dell, but my experieince is the ones made in Malaysia
are more robust systems. And the Inspiron and XPS models from 3-5 years
back are the best. Also, D600 and D610 models.
>
> Some people whine and complain about black Dell clamshell cases, but
> they were sturdy. The much criticized black Mitac case used for the
> wildly popular Dimension 2400 as well as the much nicer 4600 and 4700
> is more sturdy than the cases of most all current Dell models... Ben
> Myers

Nothing wrong with the black clamshells. They can be a little difficult to
open, but no tools required. Press the latches, grasp and pull. Very nice
design.

The two things I have against Dell is proprietary parts, like power
supplies. If the PSU goes belly up, you can't just run to Staples or Best
Buy and buy one off the rack. Gotta get the Dell.

The other is the locked BIOS, but there are good things about it: you
can't fry something, which is probably why they did it, and Dells usually
boot FAST! I have one of the USFF SX 260s and a 270, and the 260 boots in
30 seconds!

When they take enough of a hit in popularity they'll smarten up again. It
happens about every 4-5 years...

On May 22, 3:43 am, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B <> wrote:
>
> The two things I have against Dell is proprietary parts, like power
> supplies. If the PSU goes belly up, you can't just run to Staples or Best
> Buy and buy one off the rack. Gotta get the Dell.
>

This hasn't been true in probably tens years! I bought a PSU for a
friend's Dell a few years ago and the store owner/repair person said
it wouldn't fit...it is still working now!

On Sun, 22 May 2011 03:43:53 -0500, Hachiroku ???? <>
wrote:
>On Sat, 21 May 2011 18:40:41 -0700, Ben Myers wrote:
>
>> On May 21, 4:21 pm, Hachiroku ???? <> wrote:
>>> On Fri, 20 May 2011 08:05:38 -0700, powrwrap wrote:
>>> > I'm shopping XPS Studios in the Dell Outlet Store and they have
>>> > "Certified Refurbished" and "Scratch and Dent". The Scratch and Dent
>>> > versions of the computer with exact configurations is cheaper than the
>>> > Certified Refurbished version.
>>>
>>> > What's the difference? What does Certified Refurbished mean?
>>>
>>> "Certified Refurbished" is a machine that was returned to Dell from a
>>> lease, or repurchased by Dell for resale, or has been returned because
>>> more then three attempts at a field repair were ineffective. They are
>>> brought in, repaired and tested and then sold with a warranty.
>>>
>>> "Scratch and Dent" are units that have either been refused by the receiver
>>> (usually because of a mistake in fulfilling an order) or were slightly
>>> damaged during manufacturing or before packaging. They are usually NEW.
>>>
>>> Either should be good. General rule of thumb is the older the better. Some
>>> of the new machines aren't as good as the older ones.
>>>
>>> Dell Certified Field Engineer.
>>
>> "Some of the new machines aren't as good as the older ones." An
>> industry-wide trend, not just Dell. Ever cheapened construction and
>> choice of components, especially thin sheet metal desktop cases.
>
>This is quite true.
>Almost all laptops are made in the same factory, and that includes Apples.
>
>No, it's not just Dell, but my experieince is the ones made in Malaysia
>are more robust systems. And the Inspiron and XPS models from 3-5 years
>back are the best. Also, D600 and D610 models.
>
>>
>> Some people whine and complain about black Dell clamshell cases, but
>> they were sturdy. The much criticized black Mitac case used for the
>> wildly popular Dimension 2400 as well as the much nicer 4600 and 4700
>> is more sturdy than the cases of most all current Dell models... Ben
>> Myers
>
>
>Nothing wrong with the black clamshells. They can be a little difficult to
>open, but no tools required. Press the latches, grasp and pull. Very nice
>design.
>
>The two things I have against Dell is proprietary parts, like power
>supplies. If the PSU goes belly up, you can't just run to Staples or Best
>Buy and buy one off the rack. Gotta get the Dell.
>
>The other is the locked BIOS, but there are good things about it: you
>can't fry something, which is probably why they did it, and Dells usually
>boot FAST! I have one of the USFF SX 260s and a 270, and the 260 boots in
>30 seconds!
>
>
>When they take enough of a hit in popularity they'll smarten up again. It
>happens about every 4-5 years...
>

30 seconds is good but is that straight from Dell or after you
installed a lot of software? I haven't timed my machines but I think
mine are more in the order of 1 or 1.5 minutes but I have a lot
installed. Also depending on my machines, forgot which are 5400 or
7200 drives.

On Sun, 22 May 2011 06:14:22 -0700 (PDT), Bob Villa
<> wrote:
>On May 22, 3:43 am, Hachiroku ???? <> wrote:
>
>>
>> The two things I have against Dell is proprietary parts, like power
>> supplies. If the PSU goes belly up, you can't just run to Staples or Best
>> Buy and buy one off the rack. Gotta get the Dell.
>>
>
>This hasn't been true in probably tens years! I bought a PSU for a
>friend's Dell a few years ago and the store owner/repair person said
>it wouldn't fit...it is still working now!

Bob, what model? Everything I read does say proprietary and I can
understand the frustration having to only buy from Dell. Of course I
hope you are correct <grin>.

On May 22, 8:21 am, "RnR" <> wrote:
> On Sun, 22 May 2011 06:14:22 -0700 (PDT), Bob Villa
>
> <> wrote:
> >On May 22, 3:43 am, Hachiroku ???? <> wrote:
>
> >> The two things I have against Dell is proprietary parts, like power
> >> supplies. If the PSU goes belly up, you can't just run to Staples or Best
> >> Buy and buy one off the rack. Gotta get the Dell.
>
> >This hasn't been true in probably tens years! I bought a PSU for a
> >friend's Dell a few years ago and the store owner/repair person said
> >it wouldn't fit...it is still working now!
>
> Bob, what model? Everything I read does say proprietary and I can
> understand the frustration having to only buy from Dell. Of course I
> hope you are correct <grin>.

On May 22, 4:43 am, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B <> wrote:
> On Sat, 21 May 2011 18:40:41 -0700, Ben Myers wrote:
> > On May 21, 4:21 pm, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B <> wrote:
> >> On Fri, 20 May 2011 08:05:38 -0700, powrwrap wrote:
> >> > I'm shopping XPS Studios in the Dell Outlet Store and they have
> >> > "Certified Refurbished" and "Scratch and Dent". The Scratch and Dent
> >> > versions of the computer with exact configurations is cheaper than the
> >> > Certified Refurbished version.
>
> >> > What's the difference? What does Certified Refurbished mean?
>
> >> "Certified Refurbished" is a machine that was returned to Dell from a
> >> lease, or repurchased by Dell for resale, or has been returned because
> >> more then three attempts at a field repair were ineffective. They are
> >> brought in, repaired and tested and then sold with a warranty.
>
> >> "Scratch and Dent" are units that have either been refused by the receiver
> >> (usually because of a mistake in fulfilling an order) or were slightly
> >> damaged during manufacturing or before packaging. They are usually NEW.
>
> >> Either should be good. General rule of thumb is the older the better. Some
> >> of the new machines aren't as good as the older ones.
>
> >> Dell Certified Field Engineer.
>
> > "Some of the new machines aren't as good as the older ones." An
> > industry-wide trend, not just Dell. Ever cheapened construction and
> > choice of components, especially thin sheet metal desktop cases.
>
> This is quite true.
> Almost all laptops are made in the same factory, and that includes Apples.
>
> No, it's not just Dell, but my experieince is the ones made in Malaysia
> are more robust systems. And the Inspiron and XPS models from 3-5 years
> back are the best. Also, D600 and D610 models.
>
>
>
> > Some people whine and complain about black Dell clamshell cases, but
> > they were sturdy. The much criticized black Mitac case used for the
> > wildly popular Dimension 2400 as well as the much nicer 4600 and 4700
> > is more sturdy than the cases of most all current Dell models... Ben
> > Myers
>
> Nothing wrong with the black clamshells. They can be a little difficult to
> open, but no tools required. Press the latches, grasp and pull. Very nice
> design.
>
> The two things I have against Dell is proprietary parts, like power
> supplies. If the PSU goes belly up, you can't just run to Staples or Best
> Buy and buy one off the rack. Gotta get the Dell.
>
> The other is the locked BIOS, but there are good things about it: you
> can't fry something, which is probably why they did it, and Dells usually
> boot FAST! I have one of the USFF SX 260s and a 270, and the 260 boots in
> 30 seconds!
>
> When they take enough of a hit in popularity they'll smarten up again. It
> happens about every 4-5 years...

Dell systems have a mix of proprietary and non-proprietary parts, more
or less proprietary depending on the models..

Re: power supplies, some of them are proprietary and some not. The
biggest difficulty I found with the older black Dell towers is that
many 3rd party power supplies have an on-off rocker switch in back,
and the switch does not fit the power supply cutout on the back of the
case.

The Dimension 5100 has the BTX form factor, with the layout of the
motherboard being reversed from the older ATX. AFAIK, Dell and
Gateway drank Intel's Kool-Aid about the technical superiority of
BTX. Not too many other manufacturers did, and white-box BTX cases
have always been hard to come by. BTX may well be dead or on life
support. No surprise that a 3rd party ATX12v power supply is not a
perfect for a BTX case.

Any of the Dell small form factor systems have custom-sized power
supplies with standard power connectors. But then, so do "white box"
smaller-than-mini-ATX cases, and other manufacturers' SFF systems. I
have a PSU problem with one of my clients in a building with lousy
electricity. PSUs blow out on custom systems I make for them, and the
cost of a replacement PSU is about the same as an entire case with
PSU.

Finally, the "two power connectors" on the 3rd party ATX12v power
supplies. This is by design. The PSU manufacturers make them that
way so they can be used with both older Socket 478 and newer LGA775
motherboards. LGA775 requires a 24-pin connector, and Socket 478 uses
20-pin. So separate the second 4-pin connector from the entire 24-pin
one and VOILA! you have a 20-pin connector.

The newer cheaply made Inspiron mini-towers have reverted back to mini-
ATX from BTX. "When they take enough of a hit in popularity they'll
smarten up again. It
happens about every 4-5 years." Already happened... Ben Myers

On May 22, 9:38 am, Ben Myers <> wrote:
>
> The Dimension 5100 has the BTX form factor, with the layout of the
> motherboard being reversed from the older ATX. AFAIK, Dell and
> Gateway drank Intel's Kool-Aid about the technical superiority of
> BTX. Not too many other manufacturers did, and white-box BTX cases
> have always been hard to come by. BTX may well be dead or on life
> support. No surprise that a 3rd party ATX12v power supply is not a
> perfect for a BTX case.
>

On Mon, 23 May 2011 04:41:43 -0700 (PDT), Bob Villa
<> wrote:
>On May 22, 9:38 am, Ben Myers <> wrote:
>
>>
>> The Dimension 5100 has the BTX form factor, with the layout of the
>> motherboard being reversed from the older ATX. AFAIK, Dell and
>> Gateway drank Intel's Kool-Aid about the technical superiority of
>> BTX. Not too many other manufacturers did, and white-box BTX cases
>> have always been hard to come by. BTX may well be dead or on life
>> support. No surprise that a 3rd party ATX12v power supply is not a
>> perfect for a BTX case.
>>
>
>So, to re-cap...I got lucky!?

Sure looks that way. I wish there was a site that offers which dell
models are proprietary and non-proprietary for power supplies. I
realize there are a lot of dell models going way back but still would
be handy for the DIYs.

On May 23, 6:47 am, "RnR" <> wrote:
> On Mon, 23 May 2011 04:41:43 -0700 (PDT), Bob Villa
>
> <> wrote:
> >On May 22, 9:38 am, Ben Myers <> wrote:
>
> >> The Dimension 5100 has the BTX form factor, with the layout of the
> >> motherboard being reversed from the older ATX. AFAIK, Dell and
> >> Gateway drank Intel's Kool-Aid about the technical superiority of
> >> BTX. Not too many other manufacturers did, and white-box BTX cases
> >> have always been hard to come by. BTX may well be dead or on life
> >> support. No surprise that a 3rd party ATX12v power supply is not a
> >> perfect for a BTX case.
>
> >So, to re-cap...I got lucky!?
>
> Sure looks that way. I wish there was a site that offers which dell
> models are proprietary and non-proprietary for power supplies. I
> realize there are a lot of dell models going way back but still would
> be handy for the DIYs.

I had the old PSU to compare at the guy's shop...even then, he said it
wouldn't work! Some people have no flexibility in their thought
process.

On May 23, 7:41 am, Bob Villa <> wrote:
> On May 22, 9:38 am, Ben Myers <> wrote:
>
>
>
> > The Dimension 5100 has the BTX form factor, with the layout of the
> > motherboard being reversed from the older ATX. AFAIK, Dell and
> > Gateway drank Intel's Kool-Aid about the technical superiority of
> > BTX. Not too many other manufacturers did, and white-box BTX cases
> > have always been hard to come by. BTX may well be dead or on life
> > support. No surprise that a 3rd party ATX12v power supply is not a
> > perfect for a BTX case.
>
> So, to re-cap...I got lucky!?

Meatloaf said two out of three ain't bad. Three out of four is even a
higher percentage, and solid enough to hold a power supply in place.
Lucky? Not exactly. A victim of serendipity.

Now you understand why may computer shops cringe at the prospect of
repairing a name brand computer.

It has been a long time since any computer manufacturer used a
proprietary power supply connector in anything except the little small
form factor units. And even those can be standard, e.g. little black
Optiplex GX240/GX260/GX270/GX280.

The screw mounting holes and the dimensions of the power supply,
including depth in the case, are the two most important factors in
making sure a generic power supply replacement is OK. Next are the
cables to connect peripheral devices, both number and length. The
latter are not at all standard, as some power supplies (e.g. Antec)
are made to power a full ATX tower stuffed with numerous hard drives.
I have used Antec power supplies as replacements in Dell systems, and
ended up bundling extra cables with cable ties to keep them out of the
way... Ben Myers

On May 22, 8:14 am, Bob Villa <> wrote:
> On May 22, 3:43 am, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B <> wrote:
>
>
>
> > The two things I have against Dell is proprietary parts, like power
> > supplies. If the PSU goes belly up, you can't just run to Staples or Best
> > Buy and buy one off the rack. Gotta get the Dell.
>
> This hasn't been true in probably tens years! I bought a PSU for a
> friend's Dell a few years ago and the store owner/repair person said
> it wouldn't fit...it is still working now!

Indeed. I recently replaced the power supply in my Dim 4600 with an
off the shelf unit. Everything lined up, everything works.

On Mon, 23 May 2011 06:15:02 -0700 (PDT), Ben Myers
<> wrote:
>On May 23, 7:41 am, Bob Villa <> wrote:
>> On May 22, 9:38 am, Ben Myers <> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> > The Dimension 5100 has the BTX form factor, with the layout of the
>> > motherboard being reversed from the older ATX. AFAIK, Dell and
>> > Gateway drank Intel's Kool-Aid about the technical superiority of
>> > BTX. Not too many other manufacturers did, and white-box BTX cases
>> > have always been hard to come by. BTX may well be dead or on life
>> > support. No surprise that a 3rd party ATX12v power supply is not a
>> > perfect for a BTX case.
>>
>> So, to re-cap...I got lucky!?
>
>Meatloaf said two out of three ain't bad. Three out of four is even a
>higher percentage, and solid enough to hold a power supply in place.
>Lucky? Not exactly. A victim of serendipity.
>
>Now you understand why may computer shops cringe at the prospect of
>repairing a name brand computer.
>
>It has been a long time since any computer manufacturer used a
>proprietary power supply connector in anything except the little small
>form factor units. And even those can be standard, e.g. little black
>Optiplex GX240/GX260/GX270/GX280.
>
>The screw mounting holes and the dimensions of the power supply,
>including depth in the case, are the two most important factors in
>making sure a generic power supply replacement is OK. Next are the
>cables to connect peripheral devices, both number and length. The
>latter are not at all standard, as some power supplies (e.g. Antec)
>are made to power a full ATX tower stuffed with numerous hard drives.
>I have used Antec power supplies as replacements in Dell systems, and
>ended up bundling extra cables with cable ties to keep them out of the
>way... Ben Myers

Doesn't sound like it's for the faint of heart <grin>. I never
messed with any (not counting using splitters) as I"ve been lucky
with power supplies on my dells but I don't think I would mess with
them unless I replaced with the same... of course that would cost me
but I'd have a piece of mind knowing I don't have to worry if it will
work. I don't like messing with power supplies tho I don't mind
messing with the rest of the components and could build my own system
but as I get older, I get lazier and just prefer to buy another dell
(I bet Michael likes to hear that)... besides I'm no gamer so I don't
need anything custom built.

On Sun, 22 May 2011 08:18:31 -0500, RnR wrote:
> On Sun, 22 May 2011 03:43:53 -0500, Hachiroku ???? <>
> wrote:
>
>>On Sat, 21 May 2011 18:40:41 -0700, Ben Myers wrote:
>>
>>> On May 21, 4:21 pm, Hachiroku ???? <> wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 20 May 2011 08:05:38 -0700, powrwrap wrote:
>>>> > I'm shopping XPS Studios in the Dell Outlet Store and they have
>>>> > "Certified Refurbished" and "Scratch and Dent". The Scratch and Dent
>>>> > versions of the computer with exact configurations is cheaper than the
>>>> > Certified Refurbished version.
>>>>
>>>> > What's the difference? What does Certified Refurbished mean?
>>>>
>>>> "Certified Refurbished" is a machine that was returned to Dell from a
>>>> lease, or repurchased by Dell for resale, or has been returned because
>>>> more then three attempts at a field repair were ineffective. They are
>>>> brought in, repaired and tested and then sold with a warranty.
>>>>
>>>> "Scratch and Dent" are units that have either been refused by the receiver
>>>> (usually because of a mistake in fulfilling an order) or were slightly
>>>> damaged during manufacturing or before packaging. They are usually NEW.
>>>>
>>>> Either should be good. General rule of thumb is the older the better. Some
>>>> of the new machines aren't as good as the older ones.
>>>>
>>>> Dell Certified Field Engineer.
>>>
>>> "Some of the new machines aren't as good as the older ones." An
>>> industry-wide trend, not just Dell. Ever cheapened construction and
>>> choice of components, especially thin sheet metal desktop cases.
>>
>>This is quite true.
>>Almost all laptops are made in the same factory, and that includes Apples.
>>
>>No, it's not just Dell, but my experieince is the ones made in Malaysia
>>are more robust systems. And the Inspiron and XPS models from 3-5 years
>>back are the best. Also, D600 and D610 models.
>>
>>>
>>> Some people whine and complain about black Dell clamshell cases, but
>>> they were sturdy. The much criticized black Mitac case used for the
>>> wildly popular Dimension 2400 as well as the much nicer 4600 and 4700
>>> is more sturdy than the cases of most all current Dell models... Ben
>>> Myers
>>
>>
>>Nothing wrong with the black clamshells. They can be a little difficult to
>>open, but no tools required. Press the latches, grasp and pull. Very nice
>>design.
>>
>>The two things I have against Dell is proprietary parts, like power
>>supplies. If the PSU goes belly up, you can't just run to Staples or Best
>>Buy and buy one off the rack. Gotta get the Dell.
>>
>>The other is the locked BIOS, but there are good things about it: you
>>can't fry something, which is probably why they did it, and Dells usually
>>boot FAST! I have one of the USFF SX 260s and a 270, and the 260 boots in
>>30 seconds!
>>
>>
>>When they take enough of a hit in popularity they'll smarten up again. It
>>happens about every 4-5 years...
>>
>
> 30 seconds is good but is that straight from Dell or after you
> installed a lot of software? I haven't timed my machines but I think
> mine are more in the order of 1 or 1.5 minutes but I have a lot
> installed. Also depending on my machines, forgot which are 5400 or
> 7200 drives.

This is a machine I use basically to print my tickets in the morning and
is near my garage door, so is used as an "OOOPS" system when I can't get a
part off a car.

So, basically, it doesn't have a lot of stuff on it. Basic system, MS
Office and FireFox.

On Sun, 22 May 2011 06:14:22 -0700, Bob Villa wrote:
> On May 22, 3:43 am, Hachiroku ãƒãƒãƒ­ã‚¯ <> wrote:
>
>>
>> The two things I have against Dell is proprietary parts, like power
>> supplies. If the PSU goes belly up, you can't just run to Staples or Best
>> Buy and buy one off the rack. Gotta get the Dell.
>>
>
> This hasn't been true in probably tens years! I bought a PSU for a
> friend's Dell a few years ago and the store owner/repair person said
> it wouldn't fit...it is still working now!

interesting. What model was it? Some of the Chinese ones I'm seeing are
pretty much "Dell" in name only. A bunch of off the rack parts thrown into
a Dell box.

A friend of mine sent me a message needing a PSU for his 4600, and had to
get a dead computer from one of my clients to get a PSU for it.

I have noticed the preprietary stuff going away in the current generation.

On May 24, 9:33 pm, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B <> wrote:
> On Sun, 22 May 2011 06:14:22 -0700, Bob Villa wrote:
> > On May 22, 3:43 am, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B <> wrote:
>
> >> The two things I have against Dell is proprietary parts, like power
> >> supplies. If the PSU goes belly up, you can't just run to Staples or Best
> >> Buy and buy one off the rack. Gotta get the Dell.
>
> > This hasn't been true in probably tens years! I bought a PSU for a
> > friend's Dell a few years ago and the store owner/repair person said
> > it wouldn't fit...it is still working now!
>
> interesting. What model was it? Some of the Chinese ones I'm seeing are
> pretty much "Dell" in name only. A bunch of off the rack parts thrown into
> a Dell box.
>
> A friend of mine sent me a message needing a PSU for his 4600, and had to
> get a dead computer from one of my clients to get a PSU for it.
>
> I have noticed the preprietary stuff going away in the current generation.

Huh? Why not a generic power supply for a 4600? There is exactly one
difference between an original 4600 power supply and a generic one.
If the generic power supply has an on-off rocker switch in the back,
the placement of the switch may not fit the power supply cutout hole
on the back of the 4600 case. I have selectively used non-Dell power
supplies in all manner of black chassis Dell Precision, Dimension, and
Optiplex boxes with no ill effects to the PSU, the system or me.
These are systems even 8 or 9 years old, so use of mostly non-
proprietary parts by Dell is not new.

"Some of the Chinese ones I'm seeing are pretty much "Dell" in name
only." Um, aren't they all Chinese? Haven't they been so for some
time. The 4600 uses a Mitac case. Mitac stuff is made in? Yes!
Right! China! Optiplex GX270's were manufactured by Foxconn, the
same Foxconn (aka Hon Hai) that has massive factories on mainland
China.

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